How to best prepare yourself for
the menopause and its effects.
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MENOPAUSE SURVIVAL KIT
Many women sail through the menopause without a care
in the world, hardly noticing the symptoms and
enjoying the new freedom this era brings. However,
not all of us are that lucky! Here are some basic, no
nonsense survival tips to guide you through this
particular minefield in the female lifecycle. Remember
the menopause is a perfectly natural and normal
process and recognising this is part of learning to
deal with it.
1. Make a
Plan
When you start showing
the first early signs of menopause (usually night
sweats), start thinking about how your
particular menopause will affect you. It helps if you
know what kind of menopause your mother or grandmother
had because it tends to follows through generations of
females. However, if you don’t have the luxury of
‘Mom’ still about find out as much information as you
can about the menopause, what you can do about any
symptoms that may occur and create a positive mindset
for yourself by gathering information and knowing that
whatever happens you can take control.
2.
Don’t Be a
Hero (or Fool!)
Don’t try to be
brave or to ‘tough it out’. In this day and age no one
needs to suffer needlessly. Whether you decide to go
down the traditional medical route or help your body
naturally through this stage of your life there IS
help out there. Find it and use it!
3. Exercise
Try taking up some
gentle exercise if you don’t already participate in
something.
Apart from the obvious
benefits of weight control and general well being,
exercise really does help with all sorts of menopausal
symptoms. It reduces depression and keeps the
metabolism in good working order. Furthermore, weight
bearing exercise (such as lifting light weights or
stepping) has a significant positive impact on
osteoporosis.
4. Stimulants and
Diet
Avoid, in so far as
possible, too much refined sugar, alcohol and caffeine
as these can make symptoms like hot flashes and night
sweats much worse. Try to include foods with
phytoestrogens (natural plant estrogens) in them, such
as beans, legumes, seaweed, yams, apples potatoes and
carrots. Several brands of milk and bread now contain
plant estrogens so watch out for these in your grocery
store also. Soya based foods are a good source of
plant estrogens so try to incorporate these into your
diet as well.
5.
Stop Smoking
This is a hard call and
the onset of menopause is just another good reason to
quit
smoking. Research shows
that the menopause and menopause symptoms are much
worse in people who smoke and furthermore, women who
smoke tend to have an earlier menopause then those who
don’t. Now that your body is moving into a new stage
of womanhood try to help it along by giving up
cigarettes.
6. Talk
One of the ways women
get through a crisis in their lives is to talk it
through with
friends and close
family. Whilst the menopause is a perfectly natural
phase in the female reproductive cycle some women find
it a challenge mentally as well as physically and it’s
a good idea to find some people who are going through
the same experience to chat to. If you haven’t got
any friends or family you feel comfortable chatting to
– never fear- there are loads of forums and chat rooms
on the internet dedicated to topics like the menopause
where you can meet other women with varying degrees
and types of menopausal symptoms. This is excellent
therapy. You suddenly realise you are not alone and
even if you are coping very well a chat like this can
often just lighten things up a bit.
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